Resource Enhancement, Strategic Planning, Optimization, and Novel Data-driven methods for safety and security at SEA

The main objective of RESPOND-SEA is to advance knowledge for improving cross-sectoral interaction, cooperation and coordination in the management of critical societal functions related to activities in Norwegian sea areas. The maritime domain is critical for Norwegian society, both for transport, as a resource, and for maritime industries. The project addresses the complex issues arising from changes in the threat landscape, changes in how the sea is used, and digitalization, as well as the operational changes this entail. RESPOND-SEA focuses on the domains of search and rescue (SAR), maritime traffic safety, preparedness against acute pollution, and terror and sabotage. In these areas, there are reported ongoing challenges regarding cross-sectoral collaboration at both strategic and operational levels. The distribution of responsibility between different actors and the lack of overview (and control) over the available resources in the network of actors is a persistent challenge for prevention and response to maritime emergencies. The need for improvement includes enhanced collaborative practices, as well as increased use of advanced data-driven methods to support joint decision-making. The project builds a bridge between mathematical modeling, text analysis and AI, risk assessment, and strategic and operational decision-making processes for societal safety and preparedness. A key factor is also the involvement of decision-makers and stakeholders in identifying problem areas and developing tools. Project partners are SINTEF, NTNU, VTI (Sweden), the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, the Norwegian Police Directorate, the Norwegian Coast Guard, and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. Dialogue partners are the Norwegian Maritime Authority, the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority, the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority, the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies, and Offshore Norway.

RESPOND-SEA aims to advance knowledge for improving interaction, cooperation, and coordination between public sectors, administrative levels, and between governmental and non-governmental agencies in the management of critical functions in domains that are exposed to risk, and where these functions are crucial for societal safety and security. This will be achieved through an interdisciplinary and integrated approach where data driven tools and risk models are co-developed with decision processes through an action research process. The critical functions addressed are search and rescue, traffic safety, preparedness against acute pollution, terror, and sabotage. These are critical for maritime safety and security, and by extension, for society as a whole. Risk and emergency management on a societal level is subject to persistent challenges in terms of cross-sector and inter-organizational collaboration on strategic and operational levels. The project will employ a cross-disciplinary approach to develop processes, knowledge, and tools that will support the stakeholders when making decisions regarding emergency preparedness. Researchers from sociology, social anthropology, organizational psychology, innovation management, safety engineering, marine engineering, computer science, and mathematics will carry out the research. Stakeholders will be involved in participatory action research approach the project will develop work processes for cooperation, risk models and risk visualization, Artificial intelligence models for analysis of emergencies and determination of activity levels, and optimization models in support of emergency preparedness. The project partners are key stakeholders for sea-based emergency preparedness, representing regulators, coordinators, public and private providers of emergency response services. The results are expected to be relevant for critical societal safety and security functions and associated stakeholders.